America's Choice School Design, a school improvement program operating in 16 states, has changed its status from a nonprofit to a for-profit organization.  Professor Henry Levin, founder of the Accelerated Schools Project, said America's Choice is one of the nation's most enterprising school reform programs.  "They really are very well organized in terms of regional offices and so on--they've gotten huge amounts of both federal and foundation money as a nonprofit," he commented.

America's Choice hopes to acquire money to develop its curricula and training materials.  Levin, also the director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization of Education, nevertheless cautioned that the outcomes of the switch in operating status are uncertain.  "There are a lot of nonprofits that are generating huge surpluses, that then go into salaries and employee perks," he said.  "There are slick nonprofits that don't operate very differently than for-profits."

The article, entitled "America's Choice Taps Profit Motive," appeared in the November 17 edition of Education Week.

Published Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004